Heart rate day after drinking alcohol

[MarathonChris]

I am a data geek so I like tracking the HR data from my Fitbit.  I am an runner and I log my average heartrate during my runs as well as my resting heart rate for that day to get a % HR number.  It lets me know how hard I am working.

One thing I did notice about my resting heart rate is that it would elevate 1 - 3 bpm for the day after drinking alcohol (for me usually a couple of glasses of wine) the night before.  The HR would stay slightly elevated for a day or two, then drop back down again.

Has anyone else noticed a casual correlation between resting heart rate and low to moderate alcohol consumption?

[JohnRi · Accepted solution]

There have been many studies done on this.  Drinking alchohol can increase your heart rate.  For some the heart can be as high 100 BPM or higher.  For some this is sign of your body's intolerance to alchohol.  And for very few this can be a sign of serious heart problems. For some people drinking even in small amounts causes problems. 

Bottom line just another reason to not drink at all.  Given that you are taking 1-3 more bpm, that's not much, and probably harmless.  But you might mention this to your doctor the next time you see them.  They might want to run a echocardiogram. 

I had one done last year, and found a number of issues with my heart in mild or stage 1 damage.  It was an eye opener for me to find out I had hurt my heart with my careless lifestyle for 48 years...  Fortunately by taking better care of myself, the damage can heal, or not get worse.  I can live a perfectly normal life with the damage if it does not heal...

[emili]

did it happen once or all the time? I have heard that certain drinks will raise it while drinking, not the next day. unless of course you are really hung over. Again, three beats is more than likely nothing, but if it happens every time might be worth a mention at your check up just for peace of mind

[mike255]

My blood pressure drops roughly 15 to 20 points 2 days after not drinking (if I had been drinking a little daily which was not uncommon). Goes to show how bad it is for you. It's too bad IPA's are so tasty 😞

[MarathonChris]

This happens pretty much every time - and I don't drink much - usually 1 or 2 glasses of wine.  I get a good buzz but not hung over.

It returns to normal a day or so later.  But I will definitely mention it to my doctor.

[LRpeach]

This can also be due to the dehydrating effects of alcohol.  It is widely known that dehydration leads to increased heart rate.  If I have more than a glass of wine in an evening,  I notice that my RHR goes up the next day.  If I remember to drink a several glasses of water afterI have wine in the evening, RHR goes down.  I don't drink at all during the week and RHR is back to normal. 

[shipo]

Interesting; I've never tracked my heart rate relative to when I've had a few beers, but given how flat my RHR curve is, moderate drinking doesn't seem to have any effect on my heart rate.

Case in point, I had two 20 ounce IPAs last night (hadn't had anything to drink since the previous Wednesday evening), my sleeping heart rate dropped to as low as 34 on the 5-Minute plot, and my RHR was reported as 43, 42, 41, and back to 42 at various times throughout the day.

Compared to other nights, my sleeping heart rate ranges from 33 to 36 and my RHR ranges between 41 and 44.

[LRpeach]

I am sure, like everything else, the RHR varies from individual to individual regarding alcohol effects.  I was responding to an earlier question about the increase in RHR after alcohol and wanted to suggest a possible reason.  Not suggesting it effects everyone the same.

[USAF-Larry]

I have a glass of red wine almost every evening with dinner, and it has never affected my heart rate. When travelling, I usually don't have any wine for the duration of the trip, and my heart rate isn't any lower, nor higher, than it is when I'm at home.

[Heikki68]

Hello Chris.

I have noticed that after using some alcohol(3-4 portions) the resting heartbeat goes up for couple of days. Some times even 4-5 beats per minute. A little bit annoying to find out that it is not relaxing you at all but doing the opposite!

Br Heikki

[AndreL]

I'm a 36 year old male. Since purchasing my Fitbit one year ago, I've been paying close attention to my resting heart rate and I have noticed that every time I have flown (to go on vacation), my resting heart rate has gone up. Normally I have a RHR of around 56-58 BPM (when I'm not drinking for months at a time, and around 60-62 when I'm drinking), but every time I have flown somewhere, it gradually goes up every day, peaking at around 68, until I return home and get back into my routine. 

The thing is, I like to drink when I'm on vacation, so I'm thinking that has something to do with it. Also when I take a break from alcohol, my RHR significantly drops. It's something that I will bring up with my doctor next time, but for the time being it's good to know that it's not iust happening to me. 

[WKV]

I'm a bourbon drinker, and my resting heart rate is typically in the mid 70s.  However, my resting heart rate drops immediately after I stop drinking for a day.  Typically, it will drop one beat each day I am sober.  If I go 2 weeks without a drop, I'll drop down into the low 50s.  Bottom line, drinking definitely impacts resting heart rate.

[shipo]

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@WKV wrote:

Bottom line, drinking definitely impacts resting heart rate.

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I still maintain it depends upon the individual.  My resting heart rate rarely varies beyond a point either side of 42 BPM; regardless of whether I'm drinking or not.  That said, it is an exceedingly rare day when I drink anything beyond an IPA or a nice dry Cabernet Sauvignon.

[WKV]

... it is an exceedingly rare day when I drink anything beyond an IPA or a nice dry Cabernet Sauvignon.

Okay, I admit, it does depend on individual, as some individuals think having a drink is drinking.  Haha, the fact you had to elaborate on the type of beer or the type of wine, probably means this thread is not for you.  I was talking about real drinking (let's say a fifth of bourbon per day).  More than most drink, but it really shows up on the resting heart rate of "excessive" drinking vs. not drinking.  It's a direct correlation.

[shipo]

@WKV, so what you're saying is a functional (or maybe not so functional) alcoholic will have a higher heart rate compared to when they get sober.  Yes, no?

[WKV]

@shipo....whoa, throwing around the term alcoholicgets a little sensitive on message boards.  It would be like someone posing a question as to why someone looks portly even though they run long distances and rarely inbibe.

Drinking excessively increases resting heart rate.  After the resting heart rate has increased, refraining from alcohol drops the resting heart rate.  Based on the individual, resting heart rate ceilings and floors differ.

[shipo]

@WKV, so your answer is, "Yes."

[WKV]

@shipo - I think I've made myself clear.  I am not going to compartmentalize anyone into functional/non-functional or alcoholic vs. non-alcoholic categories.  I'm done with this discussion, unless we want to prove portly has a direct correlation with obstinate.

[shipo]

No problem; I frequently and routinely refer to myself as a "Fat old man".

The above said, I was not casting aspersions toward any individual.  At the same time, I have no problem being called fat, plump, portly, or just plain pudgy; even still, I can run a half marathon in ~1:40; not too shabby for any 59 year old, regardless of  height, weight, or build.

[USAF-Larry]

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@WKV wrote:

 Bottom line, drinking definitely impacts resting heart rate.

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Like all things in life, I think that All Depends on the individual.  I have a glass of wine every evening with dinner, and my resting heart rate is never above the mid-50's.  If I am traveling, and don't have wine for several days, my resting heart rate stays in the low- to mid-50's.  So, for me at least, I don't think it makes much difference.